Search by:

Recipes

Restaurants

Travel

Popular searches

The restaurant awards set to shake up how we eat

May 23, 2018

Are these the new anti-awards?

A new set of restaurant awards? Who needs them? We have at least five in Australia alone. Internationally, there’s Michelin and of course, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Plus any number of European and Asian guides, lists, Best Ofs and Ones to Watch.

But into this crowded market come the grandly named The World Restaurant Awards – announced last week in Paris. But rather than reel off winners, a judging panel of the world’s top chefs and food journalists gathered to workshop what the awards could be.

All we really know so far is that they’ll be announced in February 2019 and, to quote its founders, “It won’t be a f…g list.”

If it’s sounding a bit flippant, why care? Perhaps because its founders have form. London-based creative director Joe Warwick edits the successful Where Chefs Eat (Phaidon, the third edition just released). And in 2002 he wrote the UK’s Restaurant Magazine’s first ever World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. “Yes, I helped create a monster,” says Warwick.

“What I loved about the original [50 Best] article,” he adds, “is that on one hand you had a fish shack and on the other, the Louis XV [multi-starred chef Alain Ducasse’s celebrated Monte Carlo fine-diner]. But then it evolved into a list of three-star restaurants with very expensive, fancy food and the hot new places… I want to go back to something that’s really diverse. And more fun.”

“We all want to discover great places no one has heard of,” says head of judges, Andrea Petrini. “So we want our judges to share where they go to eat outside the big, famous, fine-dining restaurants, the more humanly affordable restaurants, places for everybody.”

The new awards workshop considered everything from serious nominations – bucking a love of ‘the hot and new’ to recognise old-school, traditional, long-running places, for example – to a bit of satire. “The Chef Who Never Leaves His [or Her] Restaurant” (so, not those on the endless international festival, pop-up, collaborative dinner circuit). Or The non-tattooed Chef of the Year. “Or ‘Chef Without Tweezers’”, says Petrini. “These ideas are actually deadly serious. First they make you laugh, and then they make you think.”

The anti-awards, perhaps, mocking the modern food world? “ Like the never-ending tasting menu, wine pairings, no freedom to choose,” Petrini continues, “And restaurants as a frantic object of desire where you effectively have to pre-order your dinner six months ahead.”

At the Paris workshop were three Australian chefs: Paul Carmichael from Sydney’s Momofuku Seiobo, chef-at-large Mark Best, formerly of Sydney’s Marque and Kylie Kwong.

“I think it is extremely positive, full stop!” Kwong says. “The goal is to be inclusive, transparent, diverse, promoting gender equality, community-driven, multicultural, balanced and collaborative. I personally feel very excited to be part of such a forward-thinking, all-inclusive, collaborative [awards process]. About time!”

The venture is backed by IMG, the global events giant behind the Taste festivals juggernaut and starry one-offs like Margaret River Gourmet Escape. If the judging panel is to cross the planet to visit the short-listed nominees – Petrini and Warwick’s bid for full and fair transparency – they certainly need someone with funds to foot the travel, accommodation and restaurant bill.

Then there’s a partnership with The Perennial, a chef-driven, not-for-profit promoting sustainability in the restaurant and farming industry. Lots of boxes ticked. “If we do this thing courageously we can change the life of small places,“ Petrini concludes. “And give a mike to our jury members to highlight what they want to…”

“And do some good,” says Warwick.

“For a better world,” says Petrini.

“You sound like Bono,” says Warwick.

Comments

A note about relevant advertising

We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites.
This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. You can find out more about our policy and your choices,
including how to opt-out here.

Our Privacy Policy.
includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal
information (including to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online
activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have
requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services
you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal
information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles
and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.

Our Privacy Policy.
includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal
information (including to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online
activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have
requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services
you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal
information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles
and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.

Please now check your email to complete the registration process.

Sign in to get the latest Delicious news & offers or enter competitions.